


Carbohydrate Father

by LaceKyoko1138



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: All Characters Are 18 and Above, Alternate Universe - Online Dating, Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Asexual Character, Canon - Anime Dub, Chatting & Messaging, Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Gen, I guess I couldn't help myself, I really don't know why I wrote this but considering there are some WILD crossovers..., No Underage Sex, more info in the notes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-06-09 14:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15269571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaceKyoko1138/pseuds/LaceKyoko1138
Summary: So anyway, where’s the cash?You haven’t sent me your account information. Is PayPal acceptable?She was kinda joking, but she also wanted to see how much he was willing to send her. Or at least, she wanted to see what he deemed she was worth.Yeah that’s fine.She sent him the information he would need to transfer the funds. She opened a new tab on her computer to log into PayPal.It’s sent.Well that was fast. And Elise nearly choked that he had sent the equivalent of 5000 Euros. That was like $5800 in Domino terms.





	1. "Just call me Daddy, Elise."

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Be prepared for a super long Author's Note!!!!  
> I know. I should be working on _The Koto Player_ right now, but this has been a bothersome itch in my brain that I had to scratch. Anyway, on to the notes:
> 
> -I’m using English dub canon and since they vaguely say that Domino City is in America in the dub, that’s where the YGO cast lives. This is to offset Nohr and Hoshido existing in this universe. This is like, a mega AU with some mild world-building. Dub canon means dub names, in case that wasn’t obvious. It doesn’t really matter, but I was leaning more towards east coast than west. My reasons for that are kinda stupid if you want to ask.
> 
> -This may follow dub canon, but I am ignoring the existence of the Noa arc, DOMA, and KC Grand Prix. Because fuck ‘em. With that in mind, I will borrow sparingly from the manga to fill holes that the aforementioned arcs may have left. (Like Gozaburo’s ultimate demise. Bye bitch, you dead.)
> 
> -Nohr is in Europe! It’s a city in this AU and I was thinking in a Germanic country since the weapons Siegfried and Brynhildr are based on Germanic legend. Using that logic, that puts Hoshido in Japan (obvious choice is obvious.) I mostly had Germany in mind for Nohr, but since I don’t actually explicitly state it in the story, feel free to imagine whichever. I tried to keep it fairly vague. Valla also exists here as a city and I was thinking Iceland for the country it would be in.
> 
> -With all these locations in mind, please be aware that I live in Texas and have only been out of state once, to Johnson’s Bay, Louisiana, for only a few hours. It’s a very convoluted story as to why I was even there. I’ve never been out of the country either. I am not an experienced traveler at all, but I have done some research regarding differences in European, Japanese, and American culture, legality, time zones, and even school systems. If something is inaccurate or seems off, I do apologize in advance! I’m juggling a lot of content here and I really tried my best to be fair. 
> 
> -All characters depicted are fluent in English unless otherwise stated. Mostly because I didn’t want to deal with language barriers too often, as the only languages I know are English and Japanese. I didn’t want to depict any inaccuracies to any languages spoken, as I know native speakers can get annoyed by authors who rely too heavily on Google translate. I understand it doesn’t always take nuances into account. Just know that most of the characters, if not all, are bilingual or even full on polyglots, but for my sanity’s sake, they stick to English. 
> 
> -THERE IS NO SMUT. I felt like, despite what this AU and the tags imply, it would take away from the story. I don’t always like smut in my stories. (I’m actually planning on redacting smut scenes from my Leokumi fic _Flooded_.)
> 
> -This is based thinly on an experience some friends and I had with a sugar daddy site. Namely, we joined it as a joke. That’s it. (I deleted my account a day later lmao) I based the sugar daddy website mentioned off that and general online dating sites and how they function, but I kept it pretty loose for the most part. The site name is based off two characters from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita. It’s pretty on-the-nose.
> 
> -This is post-DSOD btw. I only saw the dub of that, so again, this follows dub canon. However, that may make the timeline seem odd. For me, a series where the characters used VHS tapes in the anime/manga and then suddenly smartphones in the 2016 movie just really throws me off personally. So it takes place in whatever year YGO takes place in lmao
> 
> -All characters are at least 18. Elise and Seto specifically are 18 and 25 respectively. Xander is 28, Camilla 25, and Leo 21. Azura and Corrin are both 23, but they appear later.
> 
> -This may have multiple chapters, but overall it won't be a very long story. Currently it's at 12k words in my processor, but I decided I'd post the first half, since it stops at a suitable place. I was going to post it all in one shot, but then I realized how much of a nightmare it would be formatting it (you'll see what I mean) so I'm opting for chapters that are about 5k-6k words long. 
> 
> -On formatting, for the areas where the characters are messaging each other via online chatrooms, etc, I wanted to give it a legitimate feel. If I was better with CSS I'd probably have made an entire skin for this story, but just reading the tutorials gave me a headache, so please enjoy the little bit I was able to do. Formatting _was a nightmare._
> 
> This was a really long author’s note and if you made it this far, thanks! I hope you understand my reasoning behind everything. I just wanted to be thorough. Without further ado, please enjoy!

Days after her 18th birthday, Elise found herself to be very bored. She was lying on her bed in her room, scrolling through her various social media feeds. Nothing of interest today. Politics mostly. Some sports things. Tons of memes. Nothing new. One would think the now 18 year old would be out with friends, but there was still only so much she was legally allowed to do, and none of it interested her at the time.

She thought about how she had never gone on dates, her overprotective big brothers and sister always shooting the possibility down. Elise never pushed it either. But now that she was legally an adult, she really could see whoever she wanted.

Not that there was anyone of interest. She went to a private school to study music, just about to graduate, but none of the boys or girls interested her. She considered that perhaps now she could try online dating, but the horror stories she had read on Facebook and Twitter put her off the more casual sites.

And then she thought, with a laugh, about maybe finding a sugar daddy. Now _that_ would have shocked her family. Elise had money and could get just about whatever she wanted, but she really wasn’t that materialistic anyway, and thought that maybe a sugar daddy would be a waste. Weren’t those more for American college girls with large amounts of debt and a shoe problem they just couldn’t quit?

Elise pondered on it for a moment. It would be hilarious to just make a profile as a potential sugar baby. Would she even get any messages? Probably. Old, rich men had a thing for girls who looked like the living embodiment of the titular character from _Lolita_. Elise liked to imagine she at least looked her age, but she still often was mistaken for 14.

She quickly searched for a site and found one that seemed to be popular. Its name made her shudder: _humbertanddolly.eu_. Way to romanticize two characters who did not need to be romanticized, but good on the literary reference, she supposed. But it seemed to have good reviews and it had a large user base so she decided she’d opt for that one.

The first bit of information was the basic a/s/l. 18. Female. Nohr. No biggie. There was an option to put a little blurb about herself, which she assumed was the way to promote and “sell” herself, so to speak, and lure in potential daddies. She wasn’t too sure what to put. This was her first time. But she figured it couldn’t be much different than the bios seen on Twitter and Facebook so she went for that since it was simple.

_Hello! My name is Elise. I’m a gamer girl with a can-do attitude and a whole lot of spunk!_

She was a bit stuck on what to put next but felt that little bit would be enough. She opted not to put occupation or fill out any of the remaining fields. She didn’t want to put anything too personal…yet. They were optional anyway, thank goodness. She typed in a username (dark_magician_elise), made a password, uploaded a few good selfies, and finished making the account. She was given a notification that she was sent a confirmation email and she checked her email to finish the setup.

With that done, all she had to do was wait for messages, right?

Did sugar daddies approach sugar babies, or would it have been better for her to take the initiative? It wasn’t like she was desperate. This was more of a joke than anything. She wasn’t sure why she had gone through with this.

She chuckled at her username. It was a reference to one of her favorite Duel Monsters cards. It was common knowledge among her family and friends that she was really into the card game. She even played against the boys at school (not many girls were into it) and she crushed them with her spellcaster deck. Of course, some made fun of her for being a girl and playing a male-dominated game, but she pointed out the few female Duelists that won championships and that usually kept the bullies at bay.

But of course, there was always that weird crush she had on Seto Kaiba that would make the rounds…

Even amongst her family members, Elise was teased _mercilessly_ for her obsession with the CEO of the biggest gaming corporation in recent years. Elise had first discovered him when there was talks of a teenager taking over the once-military-weapons-company and turning it into a gaming corporation. That certainly got her attention. She was only 8 at the time, but Elise was pretty serious about keeping up with gaming news. After all, her brother also ran a company, even if Krakenburg Technologies focused mostly on computing software. They made a few gambits in the gaming industry and had done well, but her boring older brother wanted to focus on technology that would benefit businesses rather than the public. Whatever. She still got to test the newest developments. Xander ran the business, Camilla flaunted the advertising, and Leo developed the software. Each sibling had a role in the company, so to hear that the adopted son of the once biggest military weapons factory inherited what was surely a mess and turned it into a place for fun… Well, Elise found it intriguing. She had followed news of Kaiba Corporation ever since.

Seto Kaiba was the youngest CEO and President of the company in recent history, inheriting the title at 15. His brother, who was only 10, became the Vice President. Elise delved into the brothers’ history and had learned that they were orphans who were adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba when Seto was 12 and Mokuba 7. Gozaburo met his end when he had jumped from the top floor window of the main KC HQ, thus propelling his adopted son into the world of business sharks. But Seto had seemed to take it all in stride and the company, even during the transition from weapons to games, never wavered. Elise was young, but she knew a teenage heartthrob when she saw one.

When going through articles and archives of him, she saw pictures from where he won gaming championships, namely, chess and Duel Monsters. Elise knew chess; her brother Leo enjoyed it. But she didn’t know much about Duel Monsters, only knowing it was a card game created by game designer and artist Maximillian Pegasus. She mostly focused on the handsome young man in the pictures holding a trophy or medal; this was even before he had attained three of the four legendary Blue Eyes White Dragons. But Elise had become so enamored with him that she taught herself the game and begged her siblings to take her to various shops so she could collect the cards and build her own deck. Then, when she was confident in her skills, she’d go to tournaments, just local ones at the comic and gaming stores. She always did well, even managing first place. She knew she wasn’t anywhere near good enough to beat national and international champions, but beating the teenage boys who sneered at her pigtails and flouncy dresses gave her an almost evil glee.

Elise, by the age of 10, had vowed that one day she would meet Seto Kaiba and express how his influence made her want to play. Of course, in that time, she had already heard that he was an exceptionally cold young man and ruthless leader. He even hosted a tournament that took over the town of Domino City that he dubbed ‘Battle City’ that shot him to even further fame. But of course, knowing about Seto Kaiba and his influence over Duel Monsters also meant that Elise was familiar with Yugi Mutou and how he had beaten her idol. She only thought he was some goth who seemed a bit too fond of leather. It didn’t matter; perhaps Yugi was the better player, but Seto Kaiba had stolen her heart.

As she got older, she learned to keep her obsession to herself. Her family obviously knew it, and it was usually Xander that had to talk her down from her lofty dreams of meeting her idol. But if there was Duel Monsters merchandise, and _especially_ if Seto Kaiba’s likeness was on it, Elise found a way to get it. Her siblings thought she was a bit crazed, but they all figured this wasn’t too different from a teenage girl obsessing over boy bands and movie stars. Elise…liked gamers. That was who she was.

Elise snapped out of her reverie. She still hadn’t gotten any messages yet, but she did muse to herself that it would be divinely wonderful if somehow Seto Kaiba was also on this site. She followed him as closely as she could online; not surprisingly, he didn’t have any personal social media, but she did follow all of Kaiba Corporation’s accounts. Businesses had to network after all. And through those accounts, she could glean a little about his life. He never had a woman (or man for that matter) with him, which told her he was (probably) single. Again, he probably wasn’t the type to disclose that sort of information, but he was also the type that liked to show off. It was safe to assume there wasn’t anyone romantic in his life. Even at the galas and charity events the company would host, there was no one at his side, except for his brother, but that was only natural since the younger Kaiba was second-in-command. Seto Kaiba seemed to focus on only one thing: Duel Monsters, and how he could enhance the game.

There was that time though, when she was 11, that he had shut down all of Domino City for some sort of exhibition that featured Yugi Mutou and a stranger named Diva. She didn’t know much about that man, but from the news she could find, there was a desperate search to finish the Millennium Puzzle so Seto could find the ‘Pharaoh.’ Elise really didn’t understand what an Egyptian artifact had to do with anything, but all who attended that event didn’t recall how it finished. It was as if the entire stadium had collective amnesia regarding it. They were there, suddenly they were gone, and then they were back. Some managed to recall that the duel against Diva had gone wrong, but none of the accounts made any sort of logical sense. They all made it sound like somehow magic was involved and ancient evil spirits. And shortly after that event, Seto Kaiba had disappeared, leaving Mokuba to act as CEO.

Now _that_ had nearly given Elise a heart attack. She was so upset she didn’t even go to school. She wouldn’t eat. She could hardly sleep. Her siblings were absolutely exasperated with her. Xander said that perhaps the stress of being a teenage CEO had finally caught up to Seto Kaiba, and he took a sabbatical to gain perspective. Camilla and Leo agreed, assuring Elise that if something more serious had happened, it would be in the news. He hadn’t _died_. But Elise was still worried over a man she had never met. Her siblings had to fake a medical illness for her so she wouldn’t have been held back a year for missing too many days.

And then when Seto Kaiba returned to Domino City, Elise had wanted to celebrate but her siblings said she could celebrate by going back to school. She was very grumpy about their lack of support, but she complied.

And now… Elise was an adult. She could do what she wanted, mostly, and for some reason, joining a sugar daddy site was one of the first wacky adult things she did.

She noticed that as she was spacing out, there were _several_ notifications. All messages. All from potential sugar daddies. She was suddenly self-conscious. She suddenly felt like this was a stupid idea.

She scrolled through them, and discovered all the men were ugly, old, but their individual respective net worth were impressive. Not as impressive as her brother’s, but impressive enough. Some of the messages were to-the-point, the men stating exactly what they were looking for, some were just simple greetings, hoping to somehow spark conversation with such a boring start.

But there was one that caught her eye. She shouldn’t have paid it any mind. The man in question did not have a profile picture. She thought that was against the rules of the website, but perhaps rich men could bypass a couple rules. His username was ‘3blueeyes.’ She stared at it, wondering what the significance behind it was. Did he have three blue eyes? Now that was just silly.

But then she read his message and she made the connection.

_‘Dark_magician_elise’? Why would anyone want to associate themselves with such a mediocre monster?_

He saw that her username was a reference to the Dark Magician. Well, she had the idea of the Dark Magician Girl in mind, but her male counterpart worked. What mattered was that this man was familiar with Duel Monsters.

His username was in reference to the three Blue Eyes White Dragons. It wasn’t very subtle after all, but then again, were there any sugar baby duelists on this website?

She felt a little offended that he would insult her favorite monster. Elise loved spellcasters. That theme of deck could trick even the most experienced of players. And this was rich coming from a man who probably had never even seen a Blue Eyes White Dragon in action.

Two could play at this game.

_Tough talk coming from a guy whose name derives from the dragons who get owned by DM every time. ;)_

Now, Elise _adored_ Seto Kaiba and his Blue Eyes White Dragons, in case that wasn’t established. But she could admit that Yugi and his ever faithful Dark Magician came through every time. Some always questioned why she didn’t have a dragon-themed deck if she was such a Kaiba fangirl, but she always pointed out that it was incredibly difficult to do when the deck she wanted to build required three dragons that were already owned by someone else. And she knew the fourth was no longer playable.

This conversation could either go very well or very poorly.

_Hmph, another Yugi fangirl. No wonder you’re on this site. Such poor taste._

Elise scoffed. Who did this guy think he was?

_Lol last I checked Yugi didn’t really qualify to be a sugar daddy. That’s Seto Kaiba’s domain. Y’know. Since he’s rich and all and Yugi isn’t. And you’re one to talk! YOU initiated the conversation with ME. On this site. You’re some lonely dude picking on a girl for having a Duel Monsters-related username._

Elise knew this was not how a conversation on a site like this should go, but she knew that men online could be insufferable brats and overly entitled. She could go toe to toe with this asshole if she needed to.

There was a long pause until she received his next message. She had almost wondered if he decided she wasn’t worth the trouble. That wasn’t the case.

_Hmph, you are correct on that front. Yugi would make for a terrible sugar daddy. But that doesn’t change the fact that your username is still stupid._

What was this guy’s deal? Why was he so obsessed with her username? It was just an identifier. Was he a troll?

Before Elise responded, she decided she’d at least scope out this guy’s profile. If he didn’t bother to put a profile picture, would he even bother to fill out the rest of the profile?

When she got to it, it was very brief like she expected. He was 25, which surprised her. Wouldn’t a 25 year old man flaunt his devilish good looks? Unless he was truly ugly. Or insecure, but she doubted that. Maybe it was for privacy. He listed himself as male. His net worth…was _a lot._ His location…

_Domino City?!_

Elise gulped. Domino City was a 9 hour flight from Nohr. Why on earth was a man in Domino even bothering to message her? She opened another tab to see the time difference. It was currently noon for her, but she saw in Domino it was six in the morning.

Yikes. This guy was probably just beginning his work day, and she was there, in her room, lounging. It was Saturday though, and she didn’t think that rich business men would be up so early on weekends. So why was he up so early? Just an early riser maybe?

She read his little bio, which was shorter than hers.

_I won’t bother to message you if you’re not worth my time._

And that…was it. What the heck? How rude could a guy be?

But Elise wasn’t stupid. She could put two and two together. She could connect the dots.

3blueeyes, a reference to Duel Monsters. He was 25, which she knew for a fact was Seto Kaiba’s age as well. The man listed Domino City as his location, and he was bent on insulting her username, which he somehow took to meaning she was a fan of Yugi Mutou. And she just knew that Seto Kaiba would fume over that. His rivalry with the other man was legendary.

She laughed to herself. She had to be dreaming! Seto Kaiba was on a sugar daddy website!!! Seto Kaiba messaged her because he saw potential in her being a sugar baby! _She was messaging Seto Kaiba!_

She knew that she couldn’t just tell him that she knew that. It might scare him away. After all, why else would he not have his picture on the site? Some fangirl could easily screenshot it and send it to the tabloids. Of course, his other information was just as incriminating, but not having the photo would make it very hard to prove it was indeed him.

She decided she’d try and bait him.

_Okay, I get it. You’re a Seto Kaiba fanboy. How cute._

She waited for a moment to see what his response was. He just _had_ to answer.

_Of course I am. I have taste. Unlike you._

She rolled her eyes. Back to the petty insults. If this really was Seto Kaiba, she questioned just why he was being so immature.

_What would you have me do? Change my username to fit your tastes? Since apparently the Dark Magician is so tacky. :/_

_If you want me to take you seriously, you will._

Was that a threat? He must have really taken a shine to her for whatever reason. She didn’t put that much information on her profile, but maybe he liked the pictures she had. Maybe he was intrigued that a sugar baby would make a reference to Duel Monsters just with her username. She knew Seto Kaiba was a gamer, and she mentioned she was a gamer girl. Was he looking for that in a partner? She wondered what other sugar babies on this site posted about themselves. She doubted they listed gaming as something they were into.

She quickly typed a response, starting to feel a little clammy.

_Hmmm, clearly there was something about me you liked enough that it made you message ME first. I think you can put your hatred for DM aside and talk to little ol' me. I mean, surely a snazzy guy like you with such impeccable taste had a good reason to message a girl in Nohr while you’re sitting at a computer in Domino City at, what, 6 am? Pretty suspicious if you ask me._

She sent it and waited, her palms sweating. This was starting to feel a little unreal and a lot like a mistake.

_Ah, so I see you’ve looked at my profile. Yes, it is precisely 6:18 this morning. I did a quick search for new members after I logged in, regardless of distance from me, and you were the first to pop up. Consider me interested that of all the usernames you could have picked, you had to choose one that referenced my favorite game._

Okay, they were getting somewhere. He wasn’t insulting her anymore at least.

_It’s my favorite game too. I’ve been playing for about 10 years now._

_So since you were 8? If your age is anything to be believed._

_Yes, I was 8 when I first started playing. In fact, I was interested in the game because of a certain CEO that resides in Domino City…_

_How cute. (sarcasm) So you’re not a Yugi fangirl. You’re a Kaiba fangirl? Hah, then that explains why you’re on a sugar daddy site talking to a stranger from Domino. Probably hoping I’m him._

_To be honest, I mostly joined for a laugh. I don’t really need a sugar daddy._

_Then why join?_

_I told you! For a laugh! And you’re giving me one._

_If you’re just here to waste my time, then don’t bother messaging me. I’m a very busy man._

_Spoken just like Seto Kaiba! And, I reiterate, YOU messaged ME. I’m here for fun. Even Seto Kaiba has fun. You can too._

He didn’t respond immediately. Elise wondered if perhaps he had grown tired of her or thought her childish. Really, he did give her a laugh, but she knew that the men on this site were here to find companions. Companions that they paid, sure, but it was probably all business to them. In that regard, it sounded like prostitution, but really, if there was no sex involved, was it really? Not all sugar daddies were always after that. Or were they?

She saw that he did in fact respond.

_Okay, so perhaps you don’t want to waste my time. You want fun. I can give you that. But you say you don’t really need a sugar daddy. So, dark_magician_elise, what is it that you are willing to offer me so I can give you ‘fun’?_

She gulped. What could she offer? He was in Domino City after all. It wouldn’t be feasible to see him. Maybe that was a good thing.

She calmed herself and typed her response.

_Well, you’re on this site for a reason. Your profile states you won’t message someone if they aren’t worth your time, but that’s all there is. You also don’t have a profile picture which definitely has my guard up, but you don’t seem like a scammer or catfish or anything like that, so I’ll put that aside. What, 3blueeyes, are you exactly looking for in a potential sugar baby?_

His response was not what she was expecting.

_Everything._

Okay, this guy was probably really lonely. Maybe a little demented. He was looking for…partnership? But then, why not just go on a dating site? Why would he actively seek out younger women who desired money?

Oh. Maybe that was it. He could just throw money at this problem. He was one of those types. Lonely young guy who probably had no idea how to form a normal relationship so he’d throw money at the person until they succumbed.

But then again, she knew this was Seto Kaiba, or at least had a strong inkling it was. Tabloids claimed he was emotionally devoid. He would totally be like this.

_Well, 3blueeyes, that’s vague enough to still leave me unfulfilled. What does that mean? I can only do so much as I’m still in Nohr._

_In that case, you can’t provide everything for me…yet. Distance is a factor. But you can still provide me with some entertainment._

_Oh? And what would that be?_

_You could duel me._

Oh now she _knew_ this was Seto Kaiba.

_You would really want to duel someone with poor taste in Duel Monsters lmao?_

_Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve been challenged, and though I doubt you’re any good, it’s rare to find a woman who is interested in the game seriously. I know a few, but they are few and far between._

_Okay, hot shot, I can take you on! I have a Duel Links account if you’re interested in that._

_Absolutely._

Elise typed in her Duel Links account information so he could request her as a friend and her phone beeped when she got the notification. She accepted him immediately.

_While the app is merely a small scale version of Duel Monsters, it’s a good way for me to assess your skill. Perhaps once I feel like you’re up to par, we can have matches online on the website and maybe even duel via webcam._

_But that would mean you would have to reveal your face to me lol you’re sure you would do that?_

_Once you’ve earned my trust, that won’t be a problem._

_Hmmm, okay, I accept! So when are you sending me cash? Lol jk_

_I can send you an amount now, but only if you entertain me in a duel._

She saw that he sent her a duel request. Already? Wow, he was eager to try this out. Elise accepted it and began their duel.

. 

.

. 

Elise wasn’t surprised she lost. She was dueling Seto Kaiba after all. She laughed when she saw that his active player was also Seto Kaiba. So narcissistic but it wasn’t surprising. Hers was currently Yugi, but only because he was so far behind in levels. Seto Kaiba on her app was maxed.

He messaged her.

_I thought you said you weren’t a Yugi fangirl._

_He’s only my active player right now because I haven’t maxed him yet. Seto is my highest level Duelist right now and I felt like it was unfair to the other avatars._

_Why is it unfair? He’s the best._

_Lol I know that, but I like to be thorough when I play games. I’m sort of a completionist._

_Well, as long as you don’t have him use spellcasters, then I suppose that’s fine._

Elise wanted to say that her Seto Kaiba actually had a badass dragon deck that took her forever to perfect, but she didn’t want to swell his ego even more than it clearly already was.

_So anyway, where’s the cash?_

_You haven’t sent me your account information. Is PayPal acceptable?_

She was kinda joking, but she also wanted to see how much he was willing to send her. Or at least, she wanted to see what he deemed she was worth.

_Yeah that’s fine._

She sent him the information he would need to transfer the funds. She opened a new tab on her computer to log into PayPal.

 _It’s sent_.

Well that was fast. And Elise nearly choked that he had sent the equivalent of 5000 Euros. That was like $5800 in Domino terms.

That was a lot of money for just playing an online card game. Elise may have been wealthy, but she understood the value of money. That was almost an obscene amount to pay someone for playing a card game poorly.

_Wow, thank you! That’s actually more than I expected? I mean, all we did was play a card game…_

_Expect more when you play better and win._

Elise was absolutely shocked to her core. He would send her _more money_ if she won?! She felt almost dirty for accepting it, especially since she didn’t really work for it.

He sent another message before she could do so herself.

_Also, consider it an apology for my rather brusque behavior towards you initially. You’re a better conversationalist than I expected._

She didn’t expect the compliment. She was actually touched.

_I wasn’t really that offended, but I do appreciate it. I liked messaging you._

_You know, this site doesn’t have a mobile app, and I’m sure it would be cumbersome for both of us to use it exclusively to message each other. Is there another way I can contact you? Email is fine if that’s all you’re willing to share._

She was really surprised he had initiated that. For someone who seemed so bent on privacy, he sure was willing to message her through other ways.

_Well I do have a SnapChat! I think that would be faster than sending emails, plus it’s easy to send photos and videos, if you wanted to._

_I have that. My username is the same._

_Okay, let me add you then._

She opened the app on her phone and typed in his username. He popped up, and she was surprised to see the name it belonged to.

3blueeyes was indeed Seto Kaiba. That was the full name listed on the account, and the Bitmoji looked exactly like him. Either this guy was a thorough scammer, or he was the real deal.

She waited a moment and then saw that he accepted the request. Then, she received a Snap from him.

It was a selfie of him, the real Seto Kaiba, sipping coffee in what she assumed was his office. The caption on the picture said: **Are you surprised?**

Elise felt like her heart stopped. She was so beyond elated. This was happening! She was Seto Kaiba’s sugar baby! Or, close to it!

She took a quick selfie and put in the caption: **lol not really**

He opened the Snap and then typed a response.

** SETO **

**How long did it take you to figure out?**

She giggled. Did he really think he was that subtle? Elise was probably the number one Seto Kaiba fangirl in Nohr.

** ELISE **

**Honestly? I kinda knew the whole time. Didn’t want to say anything though. I liked playing our game.**

** SETO **

**Hmm, good to know my attempts at subtlety were futile. I know who you are now. Elise Krakenburg. Your brother runs the number one software company in Nohr.**

** ELISE **

**Aww, you know me! And here I thought no one would recognize the head of the beta testers.**

** SETO **

**I’m a businessman. It’s my job to know my rivals.**

Elise figured that was true. She was surprised he didn’t realize it sooner though.

** ELISE **

**How long did it take YOU to figure ME out?**

** SETO **

**When you said you didn’t need a sugar daddy. I then realized you were that Elise. It’s probably not wise that you’re on that website.**

** ELISE **

**It was for a laugh to be honest. I wasn’t going to take any of those guys up on their offers. I don’t need to.**

** SETO **

**You took mine.**

** ELISE **

**…true. But you’re not a creepy old man. You seem like you genuinely want some company, not a pretty thing to hang onto your arm.**

** SETO **

**Perhaps you’re right. But I don’t think your brother would appreciate you on that website. It could tarnish your company’s reputation.**

** ELISE **

**Well, what should I do? Delete my account hours after I made it?**

** SETO **

**If you’re smart, then yes.**

Oh boy, he was infuriating. But he was also right. Besides, she got her fun really. She didn’t need to message anyone else. She got what she was after.

** ELISE **

**Okay, fine. I’ll delete it. But! We still have a deal right? You still want me to, uh, entertain you?**

** SETO **

**Yes.**

** ELISE **

**Okay. So we can continue what we have.**

Elise took screenshots of all the messages he had sent her on the website and saved them in a folder she labeled POSSIBLE BLACKMAIL. It was more of a joke than anything serious, but she wasn’t stupid. If something went down, she had those messages to support her. Not that they were really that incriminating. And besides, they were a fond memory now.

She deleted the account. She was a bit sad to see it go already, but it was probably for the best.

** ELISE **

**Done. Elise Krakenburg is no longer a part of humbertanddolly.eu!!**

** SETO **

**Same.**

She stared at the message for a moment. Same? Wait, did he…?

** ELISE **

**You deleted your account too?**

** SETO **

**Well yeah. I have no need of it any longer. Besides, I didn’t have many prospective girls to begin with. A lot of them didn’t like that I wouldn’t post a picture of myself and their conversation wasn’t very interesting anyway. Too many emoticons.**

** ELISE **

**Kinda makes you wonder why you were on that site to begin with… I mean, that’s pretty much how the typical girl would act on a site like that? What did you expect?**

** SETO **

**Not baseless accusations and inanity. If you’re looking for someone to financially support you, you need to at least have something akin to a brain. You can’t just expect me to hand you money for being pretty.**

** ELISE **

**So I have a brain? Lol**

** SETO **

**You play Duel Monsters. Of course you do.**

Elise wanted to say that so did Joey Wheeler, and point out that Seto Kaiba always insulted the poor man, but she didn’t want to get on his bad side.

** ELISE **

**Well, thanks. I do try.**

** SETO **

**So, Elise. Now that we know who the other is and have developed something of a rapport, when can I expect to see you in Domino City?**

Well, that was a sudden change. He knew that wouldn’t be easy for her. She was the youngest sibling after all and newly 18. She couldn’t just fly out of the country to go see her sugar daddy. They would not take that well. Plus, school was still a thing.

** ELISE **

**Um, not sure yet? I still have to finish school. I doubt my siblings would be okay with me suddenly jetting over to a city 9 hours away to see my sugar daddy.**

** SETO **

**Well, when do you finish?**

** ELISE **

**End of June. I could always use that as an excuse to fly over there once I’m officially done. They wouldn’t be very surprised that I would want to go to Domino either.**

** SETO **

**Oh?**

** ELISE **

**Haha, well, me being a fan of Duel Monsters, it would hardly be unreasonable for me to want to go to the city famous for it, right?**

** SETO **

**I see. And that has nothing to do with you being a fan of a certain CEO?**

** ELISE **

**LMAO YOU CAUGHT ME**

** SETO **

**That’s alright Elise. If anything, I’m flattered.**

** ELISE **

**Well, I’m glad.**

She wasn’t sure what else to say. Should she end the conversation for now? A lot had happened in just a few short hours.

** SETO **

**Elise, as much as I have been enjoying our chat, I’m afraid I must end it for now. I have a few things I need to take care of at work, but I will be in contact with you.**

A part of her was relieved. She needed a chance to really let this all sink in.

** ELISE **

**Okay! It was good talking to you! Before you go, I just wanted to know: I can address you as Seto right? Or do you prefer something else? I know many refer to you as just Kaiba or Mr. Kaiba.**

There was a pause as she saw that he was typing. Her eyes almost bulged out of her head.

** SETO **

**Just call me Daddy, Elise.**


	2. "You're just...a fashion disaster!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Yes, another update, and a fairly fast one too. Since when do *I* update twice in a month? On to the notes!
> 
> -Azura is introduced this chapter. As mentioned in the previous chapter’s author’s note, Valla exists here as an Icelandic city.
> 
> -For the Fire Emblem fans, I know in the games (at least in Revelations) it turns out Azura and Corrin were cousins, but let’s not get into that weird situation in this fic. I, as the author, make no mentions of any possible relation between the two. As far as this specific fic is concerned, Azura and Corrin were childhood friends at most, and eventually got married. It’s not integral to the plot, but I know there will be one person who will read this and say “BUT AZURA AND CORRIN ARE RELATED!!!” (even though it is a popular ship… *shrugs*) In this fic, they are not related.
> 
> -I’ve decided Hoshido will be in northern Japan, close to Hokkaido, because Tokyo is too mainstream? Not too important for this story, but Hoshido is mentioned once so there ya go.
> 
> -There is going to be mild mentions of sexual interest, but nothing graphic. It’s more like a discussion of what each one is after in this relationship. This little note is probably unnecessary.
> 
> -I will be adding more tags as the story goes on. So you may have noticed some new ones.
> 
> -In a better life where I have the patience to learn CSS coding and the like, I would have made a skin so Azura's and Elise's exchange would look like actual text messages. (There is a tutorial on how to make text look like legit iOS and Android messages, which is amazing and I commend the creator.)
> 
> That's all I can think of! Do enjoy! <3 Next update will happen as soon as I finish Chapter 3 and edit it.

Weeks went by after that fateful encounter. Seto had been sure to contact Elise as often as he could. Despite both of their busy schedules, they did always make time to talk. Of course, it was in secret on Elise’s end. She didn’t want her family knowing she was talking to essentially a complete stranger, though they had gotten to know each other relatively quickly.

Elise most assuredly did _not_ call him “Daddy.” She called him Seto and he never addressed it again. He called her Elise. It was as if they were lifelong friends really. Elise was being let into his admittedly small world. For one, the only one allowed to call him Seto, aside from her, was his brother, but Mokuba also sometimes called him “Big Brother,” even though the young man was now 20. For another, the closest thing Seto had as far as friends went was his head of security, Roland. Elise once asked why he didn’t consider Yugi a friend, since their paths crossed constantly, but Seto simply told her that Yugi was his rival, and rivals were never friends. She…sort of understood that. Her family was once rivals with another family that hailed from Hoshido, but a pair from Valla somehow managed to unite the two. Elise was penpals with the youngest sister, Sakura. Sakura had finished high school a year before Elise and was currently taking classes at the university in Hokkaido. So the whole “rivals can’t be friends” thing didn’t really make sense to her. It was possible to have a friendly rivalry, but she also acknowledged that Seto’s upbringing in the Kaiba household wasn’t a pleasant one. She had read some stories online about it, but was always too concerned to directly ask the source. Seto only mentioned Gozaburo once to her, when he was explaining how he took the company over, but she already knew that story. She didn’t have the courage to ask him if the allegations of abuse were true. But it would make sense…

Most of their time was spent dueling each other on Duel Links. Elise proved she was a competent opponent, and Seto may have slipped every now and again that he enjoyed playing against her, and of course he sent her money. She tried to convince him that it was unnecessary, but he ignored it. He was taking up some of her time, he said, and time was valuable when you have other obligations, so he paid her accordingly. Too much, in her opinion, but she didn’t say anything. She wasn’t ungrateful. She just felt that there was more she could do. He said unless she found the next flight over, there wasn’t much she could do.

Elise was nearly done with school at this point. Two more weeks and then she’d officially be a graduate and then she could fly over to Domino on her break and then go to college after, although, she still wasn’t sure where exactly she’d go. Her siblings were under the impression Elise had been applying to schools all during her final year and getting ready for auditions and entrance exams. In truth, Elise messed around a lot, and while a few applications were sent, she had yet to receive letters regarding them. Elise spent a lot of time playing games and buying new cards, when she wasn’t running beta tests for the company or doing homework. She really did consider just taking a year off so she could travel and breathe easy for once, but Xander was a hardass so she knew he wouldn’t let her. That’s why it was all the more important that she fly over to Domino while she still could.

Seto really did seem eager to meet her. Why, she wasn’t too sure of. He never mentioned sex to her. He never sent her lewd or nude pictures. They didn’t even have each other’s phone numbers yet, not that calling internationally concerned them. At least, it wasn’t a concern for Seto. Elise was always afraid that if he had her number, Xander would somehow track the contact and raise all sorts of hell. When they were playing on Duel Links on their phones, they opened up the Discord chat on their computers and used the voice chat to directly speak to each other. The first time Seto suggested this, Elise was nervous. She had obviously known what he sounded like, through televised duels and interviews, but he had never heard _her_ voice. What would he think?

In the end, she shouldn’t have been concerned. He said it was nice to actually hear a voice behind the Snaps and that’s all he said on the matter. To her, he sounded different than when he was gesticulating for a crowd. He seemed calmer, his voice a low baritone. It was…sexy.

Of course, she never said that out loud. That was a private thought. But it was a thought that sometimes led to even more private thoughts, and Elise was almost ashamed of thinking of her idol in that way. But then again, he was supposedly her sugar daddy, although they never talked about the site again. Wouldn’t she, as his sugar baby, be expected to…perform for him?

She did have a crush on him, but it was always seen as an innocent crush typical of a teenage girl. Harmless. The thoughts she was having were most certainly adult. She was determined, though, to not act on them. Ultimately, Seto Kaiba had befriended her in an unconventional way, sometimes paid her for her company, and never asked for anything more. Perhaps he simply wanted to have a real duel with her in one of his labs. That’s all. He never came across as a sexual type of man.

She knew, though, she’d have to set that boundary. Even if she was willing to have sex with him, she knew that it would be wrong. Something about sleeping with her idol-turned-friend didn’t sit well with her. She really wished she could talk to one of her siblings about this, but Xander was strict about no dating as far as Elise was concerned. Camilla didn’t care about his rules personally, and thought he was often too hard on Elise, but Elise was afraid Camilla would tease her relentlessly about her situation. Camilla was good at keeping secrets though… Leo was a hard no. He didn’t like talking about _anything_ romantic, even though everyone else knew he was pining for his friend Takumi back in Hoshido. Oh well. When Leo was ready to come out of the closet, he would.

As far as her other contacts went, Elise wasn’t too sure. She couldn’t talk to Sakura. The girl would be embarrassed. They rarely talked about boys. She wasn’t close with Sakura’s siblings, so that was out. She was _not_ going to talk to Effie or Arthur about this. There was always Corrin or Azura back in Valla, but it had been a while since Elise even spoke to them. Corrin could be kind of clueless sometimes, but Azura always had good advice. Elise decided she’d at least try to contact her.

Azura was a renowned singer and songwriter who was currently on hiatus so she could start a family with her husband Corrin. The two were married for what seemed like ages, and Azura finally decided it was time to at least try to have a baby. Little Shigure was very cute. Elise and her family met him when he was born last year, after flying all the way from Nohr to Valla, and subsequently would visit during holidays if they decided not to fly to Hoshido instead. Elise remembered that the Shirasagi family had also flown over to Valla to visit Azura and her newborn. Azura’s history with both families was important, so of course both had visited. It was nice to see Sakura again at least.

Elise felt like calling out of the blue would be rude in some way. She knew Azura didn’t like phone calls anyway. She opted to send a text.

_Hey Azura! I know this is very random, but I need some advice and I wasn’t sure who to turn to. Is that okay?_

She waited for a response. She saw Azura had read it, amazed that Azura was gutsy enough to leave Read Receipts On. Then the little bubble to indicate Azura was typing popped up and Elise awaited eagerly.

_Hello Elise. I take it that it must be serious if you can’t turn to your siblings. It’s fine. What can I help you with?_

Elise was immensely relieved.

_Okay, so it’s kinda a weird situation. Basically, I made a friend online. Don’t worry! He’s totally legit. Not a catfish or scammer. We met on a website, got to talking, and then eventually we exchanged our Snapchat information, where he sent a selfie of me to prove his identity. This was about three months ago. At this point, we use a voice chat to talk and we sometimes play games online. He lives in America and wants to meet me. I’m not opposed to meeting him, but the thing is… I’ve developed feelings for him. He has NEVER mentioned romantic interest to me and all our past chats have always been very clean. I want to meet him, but I’m afraid I might make a move or say something that would ruin the trip. I can’t tell my siblings because Xander would FREAK OUT, Camilla would tease me, and Leo just doesn’t talk about this kind of thing. I don’t know if I should address this with my friend. I feel like it would be wrong to turn it into some sort of romantic relationship, but again, I don’t know if he wants that too. What should I do?_

Elise sent it, knowing it would take a few minutes for Azura to read and compose a response. So while she waited, she went to see if Seto was online on Discord. He wasn’t, but it was also still the middle of the work day for him. It was evening for Elise.

Her phone chimed to announce that Azura had answered.

_Well, first off, is your friend of age?_

Elise thought that was obvious, but decided not to say that exactly.

_Yes, he is._

_Okay. Well at least legality isn’t an issue here. If I may ask, what sort of website did you meet him on? That could give you a clue as to what he’s after without directly asking._

Elise felt ice run in her veins. Could she admit to Azura where she had met Seto? She didn’t think Azura would tell, but she would be the first person to know. She didn’t even know if Seto had told Mokuba!

If Elise didn’t answer, or evaded the question, Azura would know something was wrong and probably alert Xander or Camilla. She asked for a reason after all. Elise could always say it was just a generic social media site, but that answer was vague enough that Azura would know Elise was hiding something and probably prompt her question again. Elise would have to tell the truth.

_You have to promise you won’t tell anyone if I tell you where I met him._

_Of course I won’t! That’s why you came to me in the first place, right?_

Oh. Well that was true. Elise was worried over nothing.

_Ah, you’re right. I’m just paranoid lol_

_I met him…on a sugar daddy site._

Elise hit send and waited for Azura’s response. Surely her friend, who was practically a sister to her, would be utterly shocked.

Azura sent her a response.

_Elise…how old is this gentleman?_

_Oh! Yeah, sugar daddy probably implies he’s an old man. He’s not! He’s 25!_

_That’s still rather old to be communicating with you though, isn’t it? I don’t really keep up with much social media though, so maybe this is a common trend?_

_It’s not too unusual for older people to communicate with younger people but I can see where you’d be concerned._

_25… That’s old enough to at least be out of a Bachelor’s program and finishing a Master’s… You haven’t even finished high school, right?_

_In two weeks I will!_

_And you’re not at all concerned that this friend of yours knows this?_

_Well, like I said, we’ve been talking for 3 months now. He’s aware I’m about to finish high school._

_You don’t think he’s trying to prey on you though?_

_No. Why would he?_

_Oh Elise. There’s a reason why I don’t use much social media. Men online can be…predators._

Elise was very concerned now.

_Did something happen to you?_

_Comments on my appearance mostly and a lot of dismay that I was having a child. Some fans came to defend my honor, but it was enough that I felt uncomfortable using social media. I only have a website that’s run by my agent to announce albums and appearances, and sometimes I use Twitter, but not often._

_But we’re digressing. You’re not concerned this man is trying to lure you to America?_

_I mean, when he first mentioned it, I was a little scared, but for some reason it doesn’t seem completely unreasonable. At this point, we’ve been talking long enough that I feel like a meeting wouldn’t be a terrible thing._

_Okay. Well, perhaps maybe meet him first on your terms? Since he’s on a sugar daddy site, I assume he has money. Surely he could take a flight up to Nohr and visit you at a café or something?_

_Okay, sure, but Xander and the rest can’t know though. I feel like they’d find it suspicious. Or what if they wanted to go with me?_

_Just go with your bodyguards. You still have them right?_

_Oh yeah! Effie and Arthur always go out with me to places. But… I kinda wanted our meeting to be private. Effie and Arthur don’t know yet._

_And flying to America by yourself wouldn’t upset your siblings?_

Azura had quite the point. Meeting Seto in Nohr first would be ideal. And then! If she told her siblings she had hit it off with him and he wanted her to come to America sometime to visit Kaiba Land or whatever, they would surely let her go! That way, her visit wouldn’t have to be in secret. It would be a little odd that the CEO took that much a shine to her so quickly, but those were small details. Seto could probably convince Xander to let her go if they made it seem like their meeting was ‘accidental.’

So Elise decided she’d detail her plan to Azura.

_Okay, you’re right. They would all be incredibly upset that I would want to go by myself, and even more so if they found out I was meeting someone I only knew online. If he came to Nohr first, though, I bet I could convince them and orchestrate a scene where they would be willing to let me visit him sometime. It’s all about timing though. Hmmm…_

_That sounds much more reasonable at least. I do think that, should this relationship progress, they need to know just exactly how you two met. In time of course. There’s no guarantee that it will go the way you want. Do you even want a relationship?_

And then Elise remembered exactly why she had contacted Azura. She wasn’t actually sure this was what she wanted.

_Aaaaaaand now we’re back to square one. I don’t know! We’ve gotten close as far as online friends go, but like I said he’s never said anything that even hints that he wants something more, unless I’m just oblivious. He’s never sent any lewd or nude photos either. Just the occasional selfie on Snapchat when he’s having coffee or taking a break or wants to show me something cool. We mostly just play games online._

_I think, ultimately, if you two are really that comfortable with each other, then you need to have a talk with him, to see where he stands. Try to convince him to go to Nohr to meet you first and ask him. I know those sorts of things can be awkward to talk about when you can’t see the other person’s face._

_Azura, you’re amazing. Thank you so much for helping me. I think I know what I need to do now._

_It was my pleasure Elise. I hope everything turns out in your favor._

_Hehe, me too! Tell Corrin and Shigure I said hi! <3_

_I will. Oh, and keep me updated. Since you can’t talk to anyone about this, I will be more than happy to help you again._

_YOU ARE SERIOUSLY THE BEST <3 <3 <3 I MOST CERTAINLY WILL!!!!_

Elise saw that Azura had read the message and closed her phone. She now needed to confront Seto about this situation.

Speak of the devil, Seto was suddenly online on Discord. It was about 18:00 where she was, so it was noon in Domino. Seto must be on his lunch break. Weird that he was on Discord in the middle of the day, but maybe something changed in their dynamic without her knowing.

She saw that he had sent her a message. She opened the chat up.

** 3blueeyes **

**Hey are you busy?**

He used that username for everything, but then again, she used dark_magician_elise for everything too.

** dark_magician_elise **

**Dinner won’t be until 19:00 so no I’m not. What’s up?**

** 3blueeyes **

**I was thinking we could video chat for once. I’ve heard your voice. I’ve seen your face. But I want to see you in real time.**

She was suddenly really uncomfortable. He seemed so insistent. Then again, they had known each other for three months now. It wasn’t too odd to video chat among online friends. But Azura’s words bled into her vision.

_You don’t think he’s trying to prey on you though?_

Elise then realized this would be the perfect way to set those boundaries. Seto needed to know she was limited in what she was comfortable in doing.

** dark_magician_elise **

**Okay, but on one condition. I think it’s time we…set boundaries.**

** 3blueeyes **

**Oh?**

** dark_magician_elise **

**Yeah, nothing against you obviously, but it just dawned on me that I don’t think we really know what this ‘relationship’ of ours entails.**

** 3blueeyes **

**Yes we do. You entertain me. I pay you. I thought it was clear.**

** dark_magician_elise **

**Then we need to put limits on what ‘entertain’ means.**

** 3blueeyes **

**I see…**

Without further provocation, he initiated the call. Elise was hesitant to answer, but did so anyway.

It was weird seeing his face on her laptop. The connection wasn’t too bad either despite the distance. Must be some killer internet then.

She saw that he must have been in his office. Behind him was a glass expanse she took for a window. She couldn’t see much, but she could see some parts of the cityscape and knew that Seto’s office must have been on the top floor at most. It was summer but his attire did not showcase that; he was wearing some type of long sleeve shirt of an indeterminate material, maybe Lycra? Whatever it was, it was tight and she could even see the outline of his collarbone and pecs. Over that was a vest of some other sort of material…maybe pleather? She then realized something.

Seto Kaiba was a fashion disaster.

Upon that thought she snorted. One of his eyebrows disappeared under his fringe.

_“Something funny about me Elise?”_

She laughed harder at that.

“No! You’re just, pfft, a fashion disaster!”

_“I’m in the business of gaming, Elise. I don’t care about fashion.”_

“Well, that’s your opinion. Anyway, that aside, how’s your day been?”

_“Fine. Mokuba is at Kaiba Land preparing for the future summer events. I was going over a report when I thought of you actually. So I thought perhaps we could video chat for once.”_

“Oh. Well, that’s sweet of you. I was actually thinking of you as well!”

 _“Good thoughts, I hope?”_ he teased.

“Ooooh, you think it’s cute to tease me. We’ll see about that.”

There was a pause as Elise tried to form her thoughts. How was she going to say, “Hey Seto Kaiba, if you want me to come to Domino, you first need to come to Nohr”?

But she didn’t have the chance. He went straight into her ‘boundaries’ discussion.

 _“I understand your concern for boundaries. Neither one of us really did explain the terms of ‘entertains.’ Frankly, what you’ve been doing has been fine. Of course, I’d like to actually see you so we could duel properly. Duel Links is a great invention of mine, but I do prefer physically dueling.”_ At least he was being honest and straightforward. This may have been easier than she thought.

“Yeah, so, uh, should we draw up a contract then? Discuss the terms?”

_“That would probably be wise ultimately. Our relationship is unconventional.”_

“But I mean… We’re friends! Friends don’t really do things in such a businessy way!”

_“Elise, we met on a sugar daddy site. I pay you money to duel me. I think a contract would be wise before we take this further.”_

“But…we haven’t really needed one before… We can just…pinky promise?”

He stared at her. _“Do you take me for a child?”_

“Of course not! But I mean, it just seems ridiculous to make a contract when it’s not like we’ll see each other often enough to really make use of it, you know?”

_“Do you…not intend to visit? Is there a problem with expenses? I can fly you out on my jet. Pick you up personally. Don’t even bother packing. I’ll buy you everything you need for your visit.”_

She was absolutely shocked at his generosity. “Seto, expenses are fine. It’s not about the money.”

_“What’s the problem then?”_

She took a breath. This was going to be complicated.

“I was trying to figure out how to convince my siblings to let me go to Domino on my own. But I don’t think they would. Not without a bodyguard, and I really don’t want to bring them along. So, um, I contacted a family friend and told her about you… Sorry… But she said that perhaps you could visit me in Nohr and maybe that way, we could make it seem that we met here first and that you took a liking to me and wanted me to come to Domino to maybe help you with business or something? I don’t know. Maybe you want an intern? Does any of that make sense?”

He was silent as he carded his hands in front of him, elbows on his desk. Elise was concerned. He looked all business.

_“Elise. You and I both know your brother Xander isn’t going to buy that. He would be able to see instantly that we’ve known each other for some time. He’s CEO for a reason. He’s trained to see even the minutest of details.”_

Elise didn’t like hearing those words. She knew he was right.

“Then what do we do? I really do want to visit you.”

He hummed. _“I…could possibly try to fly to Nohr. The work flow here has slowed down some and Mokuba does bug me about going on vacation. His college courses finished some time ago, for the summer at least, so he’s looking forward to going somewhere soon. We haven’t seen Nohr yet. Perhaps I could visit you after all.”_ His eyes narrowed. _“But I still expect you to come to Domino.”_

She nodded. “I really do want to! I just can’t tell my siblings why!” Not to mention, she still had to confess her feelings for him.

_“I know you’ve said your brother is strict, but have you even tried to suggest just going? You’re an adult now, Elise. He can’t force you to do anything.”_

“He might disinherit me though. I don’t think he’d go that far, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if he held that over my head. It’s mostly the bodyguards. I really don’t want them to go either.” She loved Effie and Arthur dearly, but she didn’t want them to go with her only to ditch them to hang out with…whatever Seto was to her.

_“That’s not a true problem, Elise. If that’s the stipulation, I’d say it’s fairly generous. They’re also YOUR body guards. You can tell them to go find other things to do while you hang out with me. Or, you can tell them to keep your little rendezvous a secret. I’m sure, if they’re true professionals, they won’t divulge any information to Xander.”_

He thought about everything so concisely. Maybe she was making a mountain out of a molehill.

“Okay… I guess I could do that.”

_“Also, you’d be much safer with bodyguards anyway. Mokuba goes everywhere with Roland, or some form of security. I mostly go it alone now.”_

“But… It’s so awkward to tell them how I met you.”

_“You don’t have to say how we met. When you come to Domino, you can just say you want to see a friend. That’s all they have to know. They’re just there to protect you. They’re on a need-to-know basis.”_

“Gods, you are so right. Why was I freaking out about this?”

He snickered. _“Do you still want me to come up to Nohr?”_

She sighed. “I’d honestly feel better. If I meet you on my turf, then I won’t feel as weird meeting you on yours.”

_“That’s fine. Like I said, I’m due for a vacation. I don’t take many holidays off. Mokuba will be pleased.”_

Something occurred to Elise. “Wait. Does he know?”

_“About you? Of course. Mokuba knows about all of my exploits. He was the one to actually suggest it.”_

Elise was staggered. “Wait. Wait. WAIT. You’re telling me that your little brother, Mokuba, suggested you meet girls on a sugar daddy site?”

_“He suggested online dating, but I joked about how anyone seeing my profile would only be after my money, so he said I should just be a sugar daddy then. So I took him up on it.”_

“He really wanted you to date?”

It was here that Seto suddenly sighed. _“Mokuba…doesn’t really understand.”_

Oh? That was an unusual admission.

“What’s wrong Seto? What does he not understand?”

_“Mokuba has always idolized me. He thinks everything I do is perfect. He really just wants me to be happy, and he thinks that if I found a girlfriend that would make me happy. He doesn’t understand though that…I don’t really have those sort of inclinations. Not anymore.”_

Elise was very confused. But, this also sounded familiar to her. Leo had once told her that he wanted nothing to do with romance, yet whenever Takumi came by for a visit, Leo was practically attached to Takumi’s hip. As it were, Leo was due to visit Takumi soon and often would talk incessantly about seeing his ‘best friend.’ Leo adored Takumi. Camilla caught on first but it didn’t take too long for the rest of the family to figure it out. Leo denied it.

Elise vaguely recalled about Seto being obsessed with a ‘Pharaoh.’ She remembered how he had disappeared and many claimed something was different about the CEO once he returned.

Wait. He couldn’t be… Could he?

“Seto, are you telling me you’re gay?”

There was silence.

“Okay, if you’re gay, then why bother going after girls on that site? Shouldn’t you have tried finding boys?”

 _“Don’t you think I tried? There aren’t very many men willing to be sugar babies, Elise. Most were girls. The boys I did manage to find didn’t seem the type to be discreet about this. When I saw your username, it just…”_ She saw him shudder.

“What’s wrong with my username?”

_“It reminded me of…him.”_

Elise cocked her head to the side. “Who was he?”

_“He was my greatest rival. It’s…complicated, but we’ll just say for now that he was related to Yugi. He was an Egyptian Pharaoh and favored the Dark Magician. It’s why I baited you. I’m glad I did. You’ve been a good companion, Elise.”_

Elise felt her whole heart shatter. She wasn’t upset that he was gay, necessarily, but she was heartbroken that her feelings would never be reciprocated. Her fantasies of him were a waste of time. But, he confided in her, trusted her, and that was something to be cherished. Elise could put her feelings aside for him. It would be hard, but she could do it.

“Well, I’m glad you think so. But, just to make sure, there is no way you’d ever feel the same for a girl?” She tried to make her voice sound casual, but even she heard the wavering. She was _not_ going to cry in front of him!

_“Elise… That man took a lot out of me. Knowing he’s gone sickens me. It’s not that I’m opposed to women, but I suppose ultimately my preference is men. Maybe some girl who uses spellcasters could change my mind, but you have to know… It won’t be easy.”_

Was this his way of saying he could try? That he could see her in that way?

“Seto, what are you saying?” She had to be clear. She had to know the truth.

_“I admit, there is something in you that sparks interest in me, though it’s probably not the interest you want. But I don’t even know what you want from me.”_

She had to be honest with him. That was the only way to know for sure.

“I really do like you, Seto. I’ve…had a crush on you since I was 8. Knowing we’re talking to each other really sets my heart on fire. I mean, please don’t misunderstand. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same. I’m happy to continue being your companion, but… Just know that I’d willingly give you all of my being if it would make you happy.”

She said it. She solidified it. Elise knew what she wanted. It was wrong, yes, but… A girl could dream right?

_“Elise, there’s a part two to this sordid tale. I’m also…not very sexual.”_

“Huh?”

_“I guess the nomenclature is asexual. I would even go as far to say that I’m also aromantic, though on a lesser scale. I do sometimes wish for companionship, but because I don’t think on it often, it’s hard for me to gauge where it ends and begins.”_

Oh, so she probably wouldn’t have to sleep with him after all. She could live with that.

“That’s okay. I mean, I’m not very experienced in anything so it’s not like I would miss it.”

_“I can assure you I would treat you with the utmost respect. I’m a massive dick to most people, but to those close to me, I treat them well. Ask Mokuba.”_

“I will, once I meet him. So I guess you’ll be coming after all?”

He nodded. _“Yes, I’ll make plans to fly out soon and let you know where we’ll be staying. We’ll coordinate a visit.”_

“Wonderful! I look forward to it!”

_“But we still haven’t really addressed our boundaries. I know you just said you’d give your whole being to me, but that won’t be necessary. What’s as far as you’re truly willing?”_

She shrugged. “I mean, you don’t want sex, and to be honest, I am a bit relieved to hear that. I guess we could…hold hands? Maybe kiss? But not sloppy kissing. I don’t see the appeal in that.” She made a face.

He laughed at that. _“You never fail to entertain me, Elise. How about this: we keep the boundaries loose. If one of us does something the other is uncomfortable with, we just say so and then never do it again. Seems simple.”_

“I’m pretty sure that’s how a functioning relationship should be anyway, but yeah, I can agree to that.”

_“Good.”_

She checked the time in the corner of her computer. Nearly 19:00. She had been talking to him for quite some time. “I should probably go, Seto. Dinnertime is soon.”

_“That’s fine. Just Snap me or whatever when you’re available. I wouldn’t mind talking to you again like this.”_

She blushed. “Oh, it was my pleasure. And it’s Friday anyway, so I can stay up a bit late and not worry about school.”

_“Hmm, okay. Enjoy your dinner, Elise. We’ll talk soon.”_

“Okay! Bye!” She ended the call and immediately closed out of Discord.

Elise lay back on her bed for a moment. The realization of what she just did dawned on her.

She officially was in a relationship with Seto Kaiba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested, I created a writing blog on tumblr! It's lacekyoko1138.tumblr.com Hope to see you there! Feel free to message me! <3


	3. "Americans' blind patriotism benefits capitalism greatly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was this story really posted and updated so long ago...? Gosh I really do apologize! This chapter was a bit hard to write as the direction it was taking just kept me blocked for a while. But the past couple days I worked on it seriously and I managed to finish it! I'm very pleased. Thank you all for your patience!
> 
> -We’re finally seeing these two meet! I’m excited to bring this chapter to you all!
> 
> -I personally headcanon that Seto and Mokuba are only half Japanese. I’ve always thought them being part Russian was an interesting idea, and I used to discuss the idea at length with a fellow fan. I once had a handwritten story in a long forgotten notebook that detailed their parentage. While I kept the surname anonymous in that long-ago story, in it, the brothers’ father was a Russian soldier who fell in love with an Ainu woman. The details aren’t super important, but family history is briefly mentioned here. It will probably be a talking point again later on in the next few chapters!
> 
> -In this chapter, there is some discussion on Seto’s abilities with languages, and I feel like he would totally know several, but choose to not use them. A wasted talent, to be sure.
> 
> -I like to imagine that Seto, despite his cold nature, would be very accommodating to a guest. He’s not…always a monster lmao If anything, it’s a chance to show off. I wanted to show a small snippet of his caring side when he asked Elise about the types of bath items she uses, since her stay will be a long one. And he’s not stupid, he knows most girls care about their hair and skin, so he’s going to ask.
> 
> -This chapter reads really fast, but according to my processor, it stands at about 5K words. I’m actually impressed I can still spit out that much content for this.
> 
> -Again, this story is going to be long word wise, but short chapter wise. So far, I have 7 chapters outlined, so I think that’s going to be the limit. The chapter count has been adjusted as such. It could change in case one chapter ends up being too long or stops at the right place, but overall, I think 7 is a good limit for this story. It’s not meant to be super deep anyway, being a crackfic lmao
> 
> Hope you all enjoy as always! Thank you for the kudos, comments, and hits! Please feel free to comment especially! I love hearing readers’ thoughts!

School ended as expected and just two days later Elise received a notification from Snapchat that Seto was in Nohr. She was elated and nervous at the time. Through sheer dumb luck, her family didn’t bat an eye when she said she was going to the nearby café to play cards with friends. They wished her a safe journey. No questions asked. It was eerie, to be frank.

Seto’s time in Nohr was a time of utter bliss for Elise. Walking into that café and seeing him, terrible fashion sense and all, excited her beyond all belief. He was _much_ taller than she’d realized. Elise was no longer a little girl, but Seto was at least two heads taller than her. He made a comment that her long blonde hair was almost longer than her. She swatted him and they went to buy drinks.

They spent about two hours in the café, mostly talking but then Elise pulled out her deck and asked if Seto had wanted to play for real. He claimed it was boring without the holograms, but he’d entertain her. The nerd actually brought his deck too, but Elise wouldn’t have expected less. She enjoyed a few good games with him.

After that, Elise showed him around town, asking where Mokuba was. Seto told her that Mokuba was probably scouring the sweets shops with Roland in tow, as the young man still had a large sweet tooth. Elise laughed and agreed. Nohr had great confections.

Eventually the two had gone to see a movie, more on Elise’s request than Seto’s, but he was blasé about it. He knew German so it wasn’t a big deal to him. Elise and Seto had discussed it at one point, his compulsory lessons in languages. English and Japanese were his first two, taught to him by his birth parents, but upon his adoption, Gozaburo had forced Seto to learn other languages for the sake of the business. German was the first interestingly enough, and then Russian. Other languages commonly spoken in Europe were on the list, but Gozaburo did have Seto learn Mandarin and Cantonese to be thorough. Seto had told Elise that to understand the languages would help him understand the other businessmen he’d have to interact with, as Kaiba Corporation was once a weapons conglomerate and many warring countries needed top of the line weapons. It made Seto sick. When he took over, he never looked at another language textbook again. He stuck to mostly English, although sometimes Mokuba liked to speak to him privately in Japanese. (Mokuba _did not_ have the compulsory language lessons, but he was currently taking French for the duration of his college career.) If the occasion called for it, Seto would use one of the many languages at his disposal, although even he wasn’t always sure if his point would get across. He didn’t like having interpreters, as he felt that they couldn’t always get the nuance of what he was saying. He liked being flashy at time, after all. Elise asked if he’d be willing to speak to her in her native tongue. He didn’t decline her request.

Perhaps that was a sign of how taken he was with her.

The rest of that week Seto and Mokuba spent in Nohr went by in a flash. Elise was introduced to Mokuba and Roland when Seto offered to take her out to dinner after the movie. Mokuba was as tall as his brother, with messy black hair, dressed as debonair as a young billionaire could be. He kissed Elise’s hand upon meeting her and she blushed. Seto told his younger brother to stop being a showoff. Mokuba just gave back a toothy grin.

The dinner was quite nice and Elise was driven home. She entered her home after giving Seto a goodbye kiss and thanking him for everything, just a peck on the cheek, but it was enough to make Mokuba snicker and Seto to become flustered.

Xander had been waiting for her to come home. Elise, like any young woman who was out on a hot date, forgot to tell her siblings she wouldn’t be home for dinner. Camilla seemed nonchalant about the whole thing, but Xander was practically livid. He had demanded where she was and Elise played it off that she lost time at the café and then her and her friends went around town, saw a movie, ate dinner, and one of them gave her a ride home.

“You didn’t think to call one of us?” Xander had demanded. Elise apologized and said she forgot. Xander looked like he was about to tear his hair out, but Camilla swooped in and talked him down (“Darling, you didn’t call her either after all.”) Leo was pretending to read on his tablet, but Elise caught him looking up every now and then to observe the situation.

After a stern talking to, Elise was dismissed and she went to get ready for bed. She showered, brushed her teeth, dried and brushed her hair, and then checked her phone to see if she had any missed messages.

There was one from Seto saying he had a good time that day and would be interested in seeing her again tomorrow. There was also one from Azura asking how the day went. Azura was told earlier that Seto was in town.

Elise answered both, telling Seto she’d love to see him again, though her brother was mad that she forgot to call and may be reluctant to let her out. She told Azura it was amazing and that Seto wanted to see her tomorrow.

Seto replied almost immediately saying he understood her brother’s reaction, but to let him know if she would be able to go out again anyway. Azura took a moment, but she simply said she was glad Elise had a good time.

Elise thanked Azura and wished her a good night. Elise told Seto she would keep him in the know in case something changed. They then had bid each other good night.

That was all a week ago. Elise did manage to spend a few more days with Seto, under the pretense that she was hanging out with former schoolmates. Xander seemed wary, but Camilla told him to relax. Elise was an adult now and was allowed to see her friends. However, Elise felt suspicious that Camilla knew something about her exploits and wondered how she could get Camilla to confess without outing herself. But Elise hadn’t pursued it.

This week, Elise would be going to Domino City. It had taken quite some convincing, but Elise begged and begged and finally Xander bent. However, there was one condition: Elise needed to bring her bodyguards. Xander asked her if she planned on going alone, and when Elise said yes, he said that was his condition. He would not allow his little sister to be out on her own in such a volatile country.

“Xander, it’s America. Isn’t it, like, land of the free, home of the brave, or something?” Elise had joked. Xander didn’t think it was funny.

“Elise, perhaps you aren’t paying attention to current affairs, but there have definitely been issues that concern me. You know, shootings are much more common there than here. And I’ve heard tell that Domino has had gang activity in the past, among other violent crimes. I just want you to be safe. Effie and Arthur will ensure your safety.”

Elise remembered Seto saying that Xander was being generous if he would let her go with just the bodyguards. She didn’t argue. She agreed and Xander went to book the flight.

She and her bodyguards would be flying first class to Domino, arriving around noon on July 3rd. Elise would be allowed to stay one week. Xander wanted to be in charge of booking her hotel room as well, but Elise knew Seto was going to have her stay in the mansion so she managed to convince Xander to let her ‘book it’ herself. When she had turned 18, she had gotten her own bank account, and she insisted she wanted to take care of herself. The money she made from the family business would support her, so she claimed. Xander didn’t need to know that Elise wasn’t actually going to spend a penny.

Elise was also smart enough to not transfer the funds Seto had been giving her into her bank account. She kept it all in her PayPal account, the only account her family did not have access to. In fact, she was pretty sure Xander didn’t even know she had one.

The family’s Chief Financial Officer of the company was a woman named Charlotte. She was eerily good with money and Elise always thought of her as somewhat of a gold digger. She had access to the family’s accounts to help with spending habits and money management. It was a little unorthodox, but Xander trusted Charlotte. Camilla, however, wasn’t very fond of her, and had once told Elise and Leo that she was sure Charlotte was embezzling. If she was, she did a damn good job of hiding it. Camilla also thought Charlotte was after Xander, which really sold Elise on the gold digger theory. Regardless, everyone but Xander kept Charlotte at arm’s length.

Elise knew Charlotte would have discovered the large sums of money if they were deposited into her checking account, so she left them as they were. She had about twenty grand and wasn’t too sure what to do with it. Perhaps she’d start a savings account and add to it little by little. Dumping 20k in one go would have been highly suspicious after all.

Regardless, Elise was being careful of her benefactor’s identity. Xander could never know about this. Maybe if she and Seto got married, she could mention it offhand, but until that day came, Xander was not to know about her relationship with Seto Kaiba.

Elise was currently waiting for Seto to initiate another video chat. It was noontime for her and though she knew it was early in Domino, Seto would dutifully contact her.

She didn’t wait long. Her laptop lit up and rang, indicating a video chat ready to commence. Elise answered and she was greeted with a somewhat gentler looking Seto Kaiba. Though he looked all business in a crisp white suit with blue accents and shirt, his face had softened upon her answering. Elise liked knowing that she had that effect on him.

_“So, Elise, you will be leaving in just a few days’ time.”_

“Yep! I’m really excited! I’ve been to New York City when I was very young, but Domino is just calling to me!” she chirped.

_“I do hope that the city is accommodating for you. Actually, speaking of, that’s why I’m calling. I need to know what sort of accommodations and toiletries you’ll need.”_

Elise raised an eyebrow. “I was under the impression I would just bring my own things.”

Seto scoffed. _“As if. You’re my guest, so it is only right of me to ensure you are well taken care of. I need to make a list so my personal shopper can go about and buy the things you need.”_

Elise nodded. “Um, okay.”

_“I’ll start with the more complicated request. Do you know your measurements offhand?”_

That was a very odd request, to be sure. Elise wasn’t uncomfortable with telling him, but she did want to know why he needed to know.

“I do, but why do you need to know?”

_“During the week, I was planning on taking you to a few nice restaurants for dining. I was going to have my personal tailor make you some dresses. I hope you don’t mind, but I already sent her a picture of you so she could know your hair color and complexion.”_

That…was very thoughtful. Elise was touched.

“Oh! That’s so sweet of you! Ummm…” She took a moment to think. “Well, I wear a European size 34 in dresses. My shoe size is a European size 39. Do you need to know like my waist and hip measurements?"

Seto pondered it a moment. "My tailor is quite good. I think she'll be fine with this."

"Ah okay! Good to hear." 

She saw him enter the information into his cellphone. He must have been using some sort of notes app for this errand. _“Thank you, Elise. Now…”_ He looked up from his typing. _“I know some girls are particular about hair products and whatnot. What shampoo and conditioner do you use?”_

“Well, the brand I use is European, but I’m sure there’s some sort of American equivalent…”

_“If you don’t give me a straight answer, I’ll just buy the most expensive I can find.”_ She saw him smirk and knew he was playing with her, but the fact that he even said it meant he would do it. Seto Kaiba always did as he said, even in jest.

"Okay. I use Clean Shampoo and Conditioner by Ouai. And I guess you'd want to know about body washes. I'm really just fond of anything by Lush. I tend to have dry skin if that's helpful."

“ _Thank you, Elise. Do you need any makeup as well? Hair styling tools or anything like that?_ ”

“Oh, no, I can bring my own makeup. I don’t really style my hair very often. I just kind of let it do its own thing, unless I need to make it look nice for an event. Or…a date.” She noted that despite she wore her hair very simply, when Seto came up to Nohr, she had made sure to make it look extra nice.

“ _It didn’t go unnoticed, if that’s what you’re suggesting. I like your hair a lot._ ”

She felt like flying.

“Ahhh, I’m glad! It can be so unruly sometimes but I’ve always liked the color.”

Seto smiled. _“I thought the lavender streaks were a nice touch.”_

“Thanks! I wanted to do my whole head, but my sister beat me to it. I think it looks better on her anyway, so the streaks were a compromise of sorts.” Elise subconsciously fiddled with her hair.

_“Ah, yes, Camilla, was it? She’s quite beautiful.”_ Elise, somewhat the jealous type, loved her sister dearly, but hearing her beau say such a thing made her freeze. But before she could say something, Seto amended his statement.

_“Of course, I prefer cute blondes.”_ He winked at her.

“Hah! That’s better,” she teased. She leaned forward as if she were there in person in front of him, a dreamy look in her eye. “I’m really excited to see you again, Seto.”

_“I am, too. I think you’ll enjoy Domino immensely. July is a good month to visit. There are many attractions and of course, being American, the city goes all out when celebrating Independence Day.”_ Seto chuckled at that. _“Being that I’m the son of Japanese and Russian immigrants, I don’t personally care, but I respect the history of the holiday. And it’s just a reminder that Mokuba’s birthday is coming up, something I’d much rather celebrate.”_

Elise thought it was interesting that Seto mentioned something of his parentage. He always seemed to be mum on the subject, but she was glad that he was open with her. It meant he trusted her.

“I’ve never really celebrated American holidays, for obvious reasons, so I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s all about!”

Seto nodded, then turned to some paperwork. _“The food tends to be barbecued and meat heavy. Potato salad and cole slaw are also popular as side dishes. Usually there are fireworks in the evening, and parks have games and various booths open to try and make a buck. Can’t say I blame them. Americans’ blind patriotism benefits capitalism greatly.”_

“That’s a funny statement coming from a gaming guru who made a fortune off a card game.”

Seto shrugged, but a wry smile was nevertheless on his face. _“True. Having a fortune is nice, and it helps spread the business and allow me to further my products and do other, more extravagant things, but it’s never been about the money for me. Gaming is my life. It’s my passion.”_ He looked away, pursing his lips, as if that statement brought about a new train of thought. _“I never really thought of myself as a passionate person, but I suppose even I can surprise myself.”_

“You’re totally passionate! It’s so evident in your playing style and just your general… _je ne sais quoi,_ I’d say. I admire you for it!”

Seto looked at her. She saw the genuine gratitude in his eyes. _“That means a lot, Elise.”_ She heard a beep on what she assumed was an intercom or phone of sorts. _“Ah, it seems the business day has begun. That would be my secretary. It was good talking to you, Elise.”_

“Yeah same! I look forward to more chats.”

_“Wonderful. I’ll talk to you soon.”_

“Okay! Bye!” She ended the call.

Something Elise liked about her relationship with Seto was that they were never the type to say “you hang up first.” “No YOU hang up first!” She always thought that trope was kind of annoying, and she was glad she could feel fine with ending a conversation once it was over. She didn’t feel insecure. She’d love to talk to him all the time, but she also understood that he had a lot of work to do, and really, so did she. Despite she graduated from school and had to prep for university, Elise also worked at her family’s business. Now that she was an adult, she could work more hours, but she felt like it interrupted her daily life and the things she’d rather be doing. But Seto was the type that liked hard work, and she felt that if he knew she would rather lollygag and play Duel Monsters, he would probably disapprove. Then again, he could probably use that desire to play the famous card game to allow her to work and do something she enjoyed. Elise felt like that would be a great compromise, but leaving her family’s company was probably not going to happen. She doubted Xander would allow such a thing.

It was noon on a Tuesday, 26th June, and even though it was a work day, Elise didn’t have much in the ways of beta testing. This week, one of the projects would be completed and ready for her team to test it for any bugs or glitches, so today she was allowed to take a small break. Xander wanted her to stop by the office later in the afternoon so he could talk to her. She really hated his talks, as they were usually ways for him to make her be more serious about their company, and to mature quicker, but he was her older brother and CEO, so she really didn’t have a choice. Besides, she wanted to seem mature and throwing a tantrum about a meeting was childish and the opposite of her goal.

She was dressed currently in casual clothing, not wanting to be too sloppy for her video chat with Seto, but she was sans makeup and her hair was done in a bun perched precariously on the top of her head. She decided she’d pass time by making herself look more formal, ready to talk business with her brother. Maybe then he’d start respecting her and not continue treating her like a child.

She went into her attached bathroom that also container her closet and looked over her business clothes. She decided, since the weather was a bit warmer than usual, she’d go for a sleeveless button down blouse and a flowy, knee high skirt. The blouse had a faint floral print and was a lovely shade of pink, and the skirt was black. She wondered if she wanted to do open toe shoes and decided against it. Xander would probably say something. She went for one of her name-brand pair of pumps, and once her outfit was planned and hung on the hook outside the door, she picked out undergarments and then turned to the counter to start cleaning herself up. She applied a face mask and decided she’d brush her teeth again as the mask did its work, and after a few minutes, she rinsed her mouth and then her face. Liking how her complexion seemed brighter, she started working on her hair, brushing it until it was smooth and shiny. She put a serum in her hair to help combat any frizziness and then opened her cabinet to get her makeup kit out. She applied the primer, the foundation, highlighted her cheekbones, but skipped contouring. Her full, youthful cheeks didn’t take to it well. It always looked more like war paint. She filled her brows, applied a shimmery pink eye shadow, lined her eyes, and applied mascara. Lastly, she applied a sheer lipstick so it wasn’t overbearing. She used a setting spray to complete her look. Once she was satisfied, she got dressed.

About 45 minutes had passed, so it was only just past 14:00, so she decided she’d browse the internet for a moment before she had to leave. She then wondered if perhaps she should…order lingerie. Or at least browse the site and see what was in-store. But Seto had say he was asexual and figured that it would be a waste. Plus, what if one of her siblings opened her package? That would have been awkward to explain. So she merely browsed and made a mental list of what she would probably look good in and bookmarked each product page. By then, it was 14:30 and she decided she’d have the driver take her to the office.

She grabbed a clutch, put in essentials like her phone, wallet with her ID, and a few feminine hygiene products because one could never know. Bodily functions were odd sometimes.

The driver called over the intercom to let her know her car was ready, so she left and entered the car. It didn’t take long to arrive and Elise noticed she was about five minutes early. Not too bad. She was notorious for being a little late. Xander would be proud, maybe.

She entered the building, waved cheerily at the receptionist, and entered the elevator. She ascended to Xander’s office, said hello to his secretary and told her that she had a meeting with her brother. Xander currently had no appointments, so she was allowed in immediately.

Xander was at his desk, concentrating on something on his computer, but looked up when Elise entered. He nodded and gestured for her to sit down.

“Hey, Big Brother! Did you have a good day today?”

Xander pursed his lips, thinking over his day. “I’d say it wasn’t too bad. Your upcoming project may be completed faster than expected, so come by the office at opening hours to check on it. I’d say you may be able to start with your testing.”

“Oh! The development team must be working hard then.”

“They’ve been putting in overtime per my request. Profits have been good so we can afford that at the very least. And they’ve been producing stellar results, so it’s an investment well spent.”

Elise nodded. “Good. Glad to hear it.”

He nodded. “That’s not the reason I’ve called you over here today, although I am pleased you asked about the project. I think you’ve matured a bit more lately.”

An odd statement to be sure, but Elise was pleased nonetheless. “Thank you. I guess I’ve been making more subconscious effort in that.”

“Not the worst thing you could be doing, I assure you.”

“I suppose. So what do you need?”

“It’s about your trip. Don’t get me wrong, I am quite worried since it’s America after all, but I know you’ve admired Domino City for quite some time. And since you just graduated, I think you deserve a small vacation.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you think that.” She felt some trepidation though. Xander was the type to lead in with good news and then give the bad to lessen the blow. It never worked on Elise in particular, but she knew he was trying to not upset her.

“However,” he turned his full attention to her. “I can’t help but feel there is an ulterior motive to the trip. I trust you, but you’ve been a bit…secretive lately.”

Elise felt her heart leap into her throat. She hoped she could speak calmly. Xander _could not_ know.

“I think that, since I’m 18 now, I’m entitled to have a bit more privacy. I don’t think it’s appropriate for my family to constantly be in my business. I’d like to, um, be more independent I guess?” She didn’t like how insecure she sounded, but she hoped Xander could see it her way.

“Hmm, you aren’t wrong. It’s important for you to grow up. I suppose it’s the protective older brother in me. You are my youngest sister after all, and I want to ensure your safety. The world…is cruel, Elise.”

“I know! We definitely didn’t have the easiest life, despite the fortune we have. Father wasn’t always kind.”

Xander shook his head. “In his early years, when I was young, he really wasn’t so bad. He was a good man. Leo can attest to that too, as well as Camilla. He changed after having one too many affairs, I think. Something broke him, and made him bitter.”

Elise pondered that for a moment. “That makes sense, I think.”

“It’s an unfortunate outcome of trusting one too many people and subsequently losing them,” Xander said sagely. “I hope you never have to learn that lesson. It’s painful.”

“Sounds like you had your fair share of that? Did…someone hurt you, Xander?”

He sighed. “I…had to fire Charlotte today.”

Elise was surprised. Charlotte had been with the family for a few years now and Xander had always trusted her. She did good work, despite Camilla’s misgivings.

“What happened?”

“Camilla was right all along. Charlotte was embezzling and…using me. She finally confessed that she really was after money and was hoping that our courtship would lead to marriage so she’d never have to worry about finances again.”

“But she was our CFO. She made a pretty penny. That doesn’t make sense.”

Xander shrugged. “I don’t understand it either, but I suppose some women are just like that.”

Elise then realized what her brother had said previously. “You both were dating?”

He nodded. “It started as a casual fling after she gave me a report about a year ago. I took leave of my senses for a moment. I suppose the stress led to that. But after some time, I discovered I enjoyed her company, and she was smarter than she initially led me to believe. We dated in private for some time, but recently she seemed to grow cold, so I asked her about it. She said…” He shuddered. “She said that she was impatient about how I had yet to propose. It’s been a year, she said. It was about time. I thought it was a bit selfish of her, and asked her what was the hurry? That’s when she revealed she just wanted access to the fortune, and after some probing, she admitted she had been embezzling all this time. I don’t know how she pulled a fast one, but she did it expertly, if embezzling is an expert skill.”

Elise deflated. “I’m so sorry, Xander. That’s awful.”

He sighed. “It happened. That’s all I can say on the matter. I’ve decided I’ll continue working and focus my attention to that. Perhaps another woman will come along. Perhaps not. I can’t say I care much about it right now.”

Elise nodded. “That’s reasonable.”

“Enough about my travesty of a love life. As I said, you’ve been secretive, and I understand you want privacy, but it seems sudden.”

“I don’t really know what to tell you, Xander. I don’t have many secrets.”

“But you do have some?”

“I guess? I can’t really think of anything offhand though. They’re probably not that important.” It was a lie, obviously, but she hoped it seemed believable.

“Hmm, that isn’t the worst thing you could tell me. Though, I feel like Camilla is privy to them. She’s been acting odd too. Whenever I express my concern for you about this trip, she tells me to let it alone. That you’re old enough to handle this sort of thing. She seems insistent on you going by yourself, even saying that you don’t need bodyguards. I disagree of course.”

Elise shrugged. “Maybe Camilla sees potential in me to go it alone. I can’t say I’m displeased to hear that.”

“It’s not safe, Elise. It really isn’t.”

Elise made a face, but quickly schooled her face. “I…understand. I’m just glad I get to be somewhat on my own. I think I’ll enjoy myself more.”

“Oh? You don’t enjoy time with us?”

Elise quickly fixed her meaning. “No no no! It’s not that at all! I love you all so dearly, but, I don’t know, I think it would be nice to be on my own for once. I always feel like I’m babied.”

“That’s fair. Leo often flies on his own, so it’s only fair you have your turn.”

Elise smiled. “Thank you, Xander. I promise to be careful.”

He smiled in return. “I’m glad to hear it, Elise. I think we’re done for now. I still have a bit of work to see to, but you’re dismissed.”

She got up and slightly bowed to him. “Okay, Big Brother! I’ll see you tonight!” Elise turned and saw herself out.

She was excited. Xander was starting to trust her. Xander was going to let her go and enjoy herself. She couldn’t be happier.


End file.
